ARTICLES ABOUT IRRIGATION BY DATE - PAGE 2

NEW DELHI: The central government's Rs 1,000-crore irrigation scheme aims at bringing irrigation water to every village by converging ongoing schemes being implemented by various ministries. Under the project, a dynamic annual fund allocation methodology, which mandates states to allot more funds to irrigation sectors for becoming eligible to access funds under this scheme, is also being considered. "A number of central schemes are currently operational to augment irrigation coverage in the country.

AMRITSAR: The Punjab government will bear 50 per cent of expenses incurred by farmers on laying underground pipes for irrigation as part of its initiative to conserve underground water. Commissioner Agriculture cum Chief Conservator, Punjab, Balwinder Singh Sidhu in a release said that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is desirous of encouraging farmers towards crop diversification. Farmers should sow cash crops/ easily marketable commercial crops in the available small tracts of land, instead of wheat/paddy, and thereby conserve ground water, he added.

HYDERABAD: A fresh war of words erupted between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments today over the utilisation of Krishna river water and on multi-purpose Polavaram irrigation project. AP's Major Irrigation Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao today dismissed his Telangana counterpart T Harish Rao's allegation that AP had utilised about 8 tmc ft of water from the Krishna river than it was entitled to. "He (Harish) neither has an understanding of the issue, foresight nor administrative experience.

NEW DELHI: Seeking to take forward NDA government's vision of linking rivers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked the Ministry of Water Resources to identify river-interlinking projects that could be immediately taken up. PM Modi called for comprehensive mapping and identification of water bodies across the country. He said satellite imagery and 3D photography could be used to guide villages to best possible sources of irrigation. He has also called for integrating water recycling projects of key towns and cities, to irrigation in nearby rural areas.

NEW DELHI: With an aim of benefiting farmers, prime minister Narendra Modi today asked central departments and ministries to fast-track implementation of the rural irrigation scheme through a multi-pronged approach, including integrating it with NREGA. Chairing a high-level meeting involving the ministries of agriculture, water resources, rural development, he said the ultimate goal of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana should be to provide irrigation to every farm.

NAGPUR: The Vijay Kelkar committee on balanced development of various regions of Maharashtra has recommended that all the pending irrigation projects in Vidarbha region should be completed on a priority basis. The committee's report was today tabled by the BJP-Sena government in the Assembly. BJP and Shiv Sena had targeted the previous Congress-NCP government for irrigation projects that had remained incomplete after guzzling hundreds of crores of rupees, especially in Vidarbha region.

MUMBAI: The food processing division of Jain Irrigation Systems said here today that its business has grown at a CAGR of 15 per cent in the last five years and is targeted to grow to Rs 900 crore this year, with exports pegged at Rs 600 crore. "Our food processing division business is targeted to grow to Rs 900 crore in FY15, with exports pegged at Rs 600 crore. The revenue stood at Rs 663 crore and exports at Rs 418 crore in FY14," a company official said here. Jain Irrigation is the largest onion and vegetable processor in the country and the second largest in the world with two units in India and one in the USA . It is also India's largest processor of fruits and the world's leading mango processor, with three manufacturing facilities in India.

NAGPUR: Maharashtra Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse today told the Legislative Council that the government is planning to grant subsidies to small irrigation schemes in the state this year even as it aims to meet the two-year backlog first. Khadse was replying to a question raised by members Amarsingh Pandit, Satish Chavan, Dhananjay Munde, Abdullakhan Durrani, Ramhari Rupanwar, Sanjay Datta and Bhai Jagtap regarding small irrigation schemes of Maharashtra. He said that due to funds problem, the government was unable to release earlier subsidies (for two financial years)

NAGPUR: In trouble for Maharashtra's former Deputy CM Ajit Pawar and top NCP leaders Sunil Tatkare and Chhagan Bhujbal, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today gave a go-ahead for probe against them in an alleged corruption case. The state's Anti-Corruption Bureau has been asked to institute 'open inquiries' against Pawar and state NCP president Sunil Tatkare in connection with alleged corruption and irregularities in execution of various irrigation projects during their tenure as Water Resource Ministers.